MUM'S AGONISING WATCH
My son, 11, eats sponges, screws and wallpaper but it broke my heart when he ate his own nappies
The condition tends to be more common in young children and pregnant women - find out the symptoms below
A MUM has spoken of her heatbreak seeing her son eating his own nappies - as well as sponges, screws and wallpaper.
Eileen Lamb first noticed her 11-year-old son Charlie wolfing down dog food in the house at the age of five.
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Initially the 35-year-old believed it to be a "one-off" incident but when she found Charlie nibbling on more bizarre things, she took him to the doctors.
He was eventually diagnosed with pica in 2023.
According to Beat, the leading eating disorder charity, pica is a feeding disorder in which someone eats non-food substances that have no nutritional value.
Horrifying photos taken by Eileen show large chunks missing from sponges, photos and even a blue, plastic bucket from when Charlie decided to eat the household items.
Read more on pica
The social media director is now forced to put locks on all cupboards in the house and hide toilet paper to stop Charlie eating it.
Eileen says a screw was discovered lodged in her son's colon during an endoscopy in November 2023 that she had no idea he'd swallowed.
While the cause of Charlie's pica is unknown, he was also diagnosed with autism at 22 months old.
According to the NHS, pica is more frequently diagnosed in children with learning difficulties and is associated with autism spectrum disorder.
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It's also linked to conditions like OCD and iron deficiency, which Eileen says Charlie was tested for but came back negative.
The mum-of-three is now speaking out about the difficulties of Charlie's condition to spread awareness of how hard pica can be for both the child affected and their caregiver.
Pica sufferer Gemma explains she is addicted to eating household sponges
Eileen, fromn Austin, Texas, US, said: "Charlie was five and he started eating dog food.
"I know some kids, even if they don't have autism, will have an interest in dog food so at the time, I thought it was a one-off thing.
"Then he started eating paper towels, books and pretty much anything you can think of.
"I had heard of pica but he showed no signs of it until he was five. It was shocking and I didn't realise how intense it could be.
"With Charlie it is so extreme he would tear off the walls [to eat]. We have had to take everything out of his room.
"I have to put everything away and we can't have any decorated items in the house.
"We have locks on all of our cabinets so he doesn't try to open them. Even toilet paper has to be put out of reach.
I have to put everything away and we can't have any decorated items in the house
Eileen Lamb
"It's difficult because we have to put all items away, which most people wouldn't even think [someone would eat]."
Eileen says sponges go in a special drawer with a lock, as he loves to eat them.
And Charlie is also really attracted to pattern paper.
She continued: "18 months ago, he had an endoscopy and they found a screw in his colon, which was pretty big. I didn't even know he had swallowed this.
"We try to make him as safe as he can be but he'll always find something to eat.
"From a dangerous standpoint the most alarming thing he has tried to eat is the screw.
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"But from a 'what on earth?' viewpoint it is probably when he started eating his own diapers and this broke my heart.
"We have been able to manage this by putting him in a one-piece outfit that zips in the back so he can't remove them [the diapers] overnight and it seems to work.
"It's stressful and it's sad because he's my son and I love him and it's so difficult to keep him safe.
"I wish we didn't have to take such drastic measures to make sure he doesn't hurt himself."
As well as locking household items away, Eileen says she has had to remove all of Charlie's belongings from his room and he now sleeps in a 'safety' bed to protect him.
I wish we didn't have to take such drastic measures to make sure he doesn't hurt himself
Eileen Lamb
Eileen said: "Charlie can grow out of it and at the moment it is much better but it can come back at any time and we don't know the cause of why he's doing it.
"We have taken everything out of his room but this wasn't enough.
"He started eating the tissue on his pillow case, the bedding and the walls. There was nothing we could do to prevent him from pica.
"Right now, his room has a safety bed which is basically like a tent and we can zip him in at night.
"The great thing is that the bed sheets zip in and there is no way he can get any access fabric to put in his mouth."
Now, Eileen is speaking out about her son's pica diagnosis to raise awareness of the disorder.
Eileen said: "It's very difficult and I really wish we could find the cause of why he is doing this as it's really traumatic for the child and the caregiver and we need more awareness of it.
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"He is getting better but it is something we're still dealing with on a daily basis. He ate a garbage bag this morning.
"I think he knows it's wrong because he'll hide himself to do it and will sneak items into his room."
The signs of pica
Pica is an eating disorder where a person compulsively eats things that aren’t food and don’t have any nutritional value or purpose.
It can happen to anyone at any age but tends to happen in three specific groups of people:
- Young children, especially those under six years old.
- Women who are pregnant.
- People with certain mental health conditions, especially autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities or schizophrenia.
The sole symptom of pica is compulsively eating things that aren’t food or have no nutritional value or benefit. Most people with this condition prefer a single type of non-food item they eat.
However, pica can cause other conditions or issues, which have their own sets of symptoms. Other conditions that can happen because of pica include:
- Anemia (low iron).
- Ascariasis (roundworm infection).
- Constipation.
- Electrolyte imbalance.
- Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
- Lead poisoning.
- Small intestine and large intestine obstruction/blockage.
The NHS recommends things you can do to help:
- Keep a record of what your child eats and share this with those involved in your child’s care.
- Keep track of how often your child displays pica behaviour.
- Keep a list of the places and situations where your child puts things in their mouth.
- Keep non-food items, that your child frequently attempts to eat, out of their sight.
- Put locks on cabinets that contain possible pica objects.
- Vacuum floors daily to reduce items on the floor that your child might eat.
- Enrich your child’s environment. During downtime, provide access to things your child likes to do that do not include pica items.
- Teach danger awareness skills. Have your child practice identifying things that are non-edible or dangerous.
Source: Cleveland Clinic/NHS
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